Production of reading matter on motion-picture films



O. CHOUINARDI PRODUCTION OF READING MATTER 0N MOTION PICTURE FILMS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23. I920.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922 6 x INVENTDR M ATTORNE PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR CHOUINARD, 01 NEW YORK, N. Y.

PRODUCTION 01' READING MATTER ON MOTION-PICTURE FILMS.

Specification of Letters ratent.

Patented Jan. 17, 1922.

Application filed October 23, 1920. Serial No. 418,941.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, OSCAR CHOUINARD, a subject'of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of the city of New York, borou h of Manhattan, county and State of New ork, have invented certain new and useful Imrovements in the Production of Reading Klatter on Motion-Picture Films, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to photographic production of reading matter on motion picture film, and more particularly to the method of photographically producing such reading matter, and to individual interchangeable photographically made type by which said method may be carried out.

In the production of motion picture reels as now made, it is customary to have titles and explanatory matter on the film with the pictures at deslred locations. Considerable difiiculty has been experienced in producing such reading matter upon the film at sufficiently low cost so as ot'to unduly increase the total cost of the 1m, and at the same time have the reading matter sufficiently clear cut so that it may clearly appear upon the screen to thus enable rapid reading of such titles and explanatory matter, which is a highly desirable feature. in projecting motion pictures.

The objects of my invention are to provide a method of producing such reading matter, and type suitable for carrying out such method, by the. use of which the reading matter can be cheaply produced on the film in clear out lines.

The invention consists in the novel features hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 illustrates type made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 shows an assembly frame in which the type is being set up; and

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectlonal view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings (Fig. l), 1 is an individual type photographically made on an ordinary piece of flexible photographic film, and comprises the opaque ground 2 and the transparent character 3, the type being made by photographing the character onto the film. One of the vertical marginal portions 4 of the film is slitted or otherwise suitably recessed transversely .as at 5, through the entire thickness of the film, so as to engage the adjacent marginal portion 6 of an? other of the types 7, so as to definitely interlock the two adjacent types together, preferably both from relative movement toward and from each other, and from relative movement along their height.

As herein shown, Iaccomplish this by forming two slits or recesses in the edge of one of the types at widely spaced points, and then by taking that type between the thumb and finger and buckling it into U-shape, and taking the intended adjacent type held without being buckled, the margin-a1 edge of said last mentioned type can be slipped right into the slits or recesses 5, 5; and then when the pressure on the opposite edges of the recessed type is relieved, it will spring back into its horizontal or normal position, thus leaving the two types interlocked, and with the adjacent ed es of the two types completely overlapping t roughout their thicknesses and throughout their len ths so as to prevent any light passing throug%1 the adjacent portions of the types. With the two films thus interlocked they may be slid into the frame as shown in Fig. 2, in which frame horizontal uide rails 8, 8 are held together by vertica members 9, 9, the guide rails having grooves 10 formed in their faces to form guideways for the type.

When the types are thus started to be inserted into the frame, additional t pes are buckled into U-form as above described and thus interlocked with the next preceding type, and the line of type pushed farther on into the guideway, and so on until a complete line of the readin matter is formed.

I am aware of the act that it has been proposed to form individual type of metal or other thick material with transparent characters stamped or otherwise formed thereon or therein, and that in order to align such type and prevent light from pass ing between the adjacent types it has been proposed to longitudinally groove or rabbet the thick edges of the type. But this means very considerable cost in making such type, and besides this, the tendency of the type is to slip away one from the other, since there is no grippin action between the respective edges of a j acent types.

By forming the individual, interchangeable type hotographically on ordinary thin flexible pl iotographic film the type can be very rapidly and cheaply made with the characters very clear cut in outline; and by providing the interlocking means described etween such types, I am enabled to rapidl and reliably interlock the types in suc manner that they will tend to be held together spaced by interlocking engagement, and can be rapidly assembled in the frame.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. Method of producing reading matter u on motion picture film, which consists in piiotographically formin individual interchangeable type upon fiexible film, each type having a transparent character a earing u on an opaque ground, interloc mg a plura ity of said individual types and then sliding the interlocked types into a guide frame and photographing the aligned types.

2. Individual interchangeable types for photographic reproduction on motion picture film, each made of flexible film and having a transparent character appearing upon an opaque ground, adjacent margins of adjacent types bein adapted to interlock and overlap throug their entire thickness one upon the other.

3. Individual interchangeable types for photo raphic reproduction on motion picture fi m, each made of flexible film and having a transparent character appearing upon an opaque ground, the margin of at least one of two adjacent types having one or more transverse recesses through the thickness of the film into which the margin of the adjacent type is adapted to be inserted so that the characters may be thus spaced one from the other.

4. Individual interchangeable types for photographic reproduction on motion picture film, each made of flexible film and having a transparent character appearing upon an opaque ground, the margin of one of the types having a plurality of spaced transverse recesses into which the margin of the adjacent type is adapted to be inserted when the recessed type is buckled, whereby when the buckled type is released, adjacent types are frictionally gripped and interlocked one with the other.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

OSCAR GHOUINARD. 

